The sound of hooves hitting the dirt road echoed through the silent forest as Celestia continued north, the cool morning air brushing against her face.
Suddenly, a cold sensation washed over her, and a familiar screen materialized before her eyes.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
Major Quest
Quest Name:Shackles of Influence
Task: Manipulate Lord Cedric Vale, the ruler of Dawnmire, and bring him under your influence. Take everything he has.
Rewards:
EXP: 230
Fear Rating: +3
+3 levels for [Manipulation]
Celestia's emerald eyes gleamed with amusement as she read the quest. "Major Quest? How interesting... There's not an option to accept or deny this one... So it's not an optional one like the others." She murmured, gripping the reins of her horse tighter.
After another two hours on her horse, she came into view of Dawnmire, she rode until making it to the gates which were already opened and the guards didn't even give her a second glance. She rode into the city and wasted no time. She spent the first night securing a modest inn, nothing too extravagant—just enough to blend in.
For the next seven days, she immersed herself in any type of information she could gain from anyone. She wandered through smoky taverns, listening in on drunken conversations, slipped into dark alleyways, finding informants and lowlifes willing to talk for a few coins, and she studied the movements of the city guards, the merchants, and most importantly, Lord Cedric Vale's influence over the people.
Over the week, the rumors painted a clear picture with everyone who would speak. Cedric was corrupt, paranoid, and easily swayed by greed. But he wasn't foolish. He ruled Dawnmire with an iron grip, ensuring that no one grew powerful enough to challenge him.
Celestia sat in the dimly lit room, exhaling slowly as she leaned back against her chair. Her emerald eyes gleamed with amusement, a slow smirk creeping onto her lips.
"So, he thinks he's untouchable… as long as he's within his city." Her voice was laced with quiet mockery. "That's what everyone keeps saying."
Her fingers drummed against the wooden table as she chuckled to herself. "I've met plenty people in my past life who thought they were invincible just because they had a bit of power, because they were surrounded by people." Her grin widened, eyes darkening. "Yet, at the end of the night, they still bled at my feet." She said as she got up from her chair.
But then, her amusement faded as she narrowed her gaze at the maps pinned to the wall—the ones she had painstakingly drawn over the past week.
Dawnmire's castle loomed at the heart of the city, a fortress of power where Lord Cedric Vale resided. She traced a finger over the map, stopping at a specific point where the castle's outer wall met the castle near the back.
"That's the best entry point… but also the most heavily guarded."
She leaned in, scrutinizing every detail she had gathered. "The guards rotated frequently, never leaving a single blind spot. Someone was constantly watching."
"Cedric is paranoid," she muttered, eyes narrowing. "Paranoid enough to keep his security suffocatingly tight."
Her mind spun through countless possibilities, discarding them as quickly as they came—until one stuck.
"A distraction." She tapped her dagger lightly against the map. "If I pay someone to stir up enough chaos, the guards might be forced to abandon their posts."
But almost as soon as she considered it, doubt crept in. Too much of a gamble.
"If it's not big enough, they won't move. If it's too much, the entire city will go on lockdown." Her grip on the dagger tightened. "And the worst part? I won't know when it starts... unless they leave."
Her voice dropped into a whisper, the weight of uncertainty pressing down. "If they leave."
She let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her white hair. "It's damn risky... but it's the only playable move I currently have."
Her fingers tightened around the small dagger.
"This is going to be a pain in my ass…" she muttered under her breath, her voice dripping with irritation. "I can't stand being around these lowlifes any longer. The filth I had to pay just to get scraps of information..." Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Disgusting pigs, all of them."
Celestia inhaled deeply, steadying herself before exhaling slowly. It was time to begin.
"Let's get everything in motion today. Tonight, I start the infiltration."
With that, she locked her door behind her, and descended the narrow staircase. Her gaze locked onto a large man seated near the bar—the same one she had spoken with yesterday. She approached him without hesitation.
"Fifty silver," she said, her voice low and firm. "Cause a distraction when the moon begins to rise."
The man considered her offer, rubbing his chin before nodding. "Yeah, I can do that," he replied, pushing himself up to order another beer before settling back down as if nothing had happened.
Celestia didn't linger. The less time she spent in one place, the better. She turned on her heel and stepped out of the inn, the crisp air of the evening brushing against her skin as she strode down the cobblestone road looking for a nearby weapon shop.
tepping inside, her sharp gaze scanned the walls and display cases, yet found nothing of what she was looking for. Not a single rapier in sight.
"I'm looking for a rapier," she said, her voice even as she turned her attention to the shopkeeper—a rugged man with a scar slicing through one eye.
He glanced up from his work, studying her for a moment before responding. "We've got three in the back. Not a common weapon around here, so we don't keep them on display."
Pushing aside a bamboo curtain that hung in strips over a doorway, he disappeared into the back room. Moments later, he returned, carefully laying three rapiers onto the wooden table in front of her.
"These are the last ones from the last stock we received," he said. "Take your pick."
Celestia's gaze fell on the three rapiers, each one gleaming under the light. She ran a finger along the hilts, studying the subtle differences between them.
The first one was a slender blade with a delicate, almost fragile design. Its hilt was wrapped in worn leather, and the guard was simple—two curved arms that almost looked like the wings of a bird in flight. The blade itself was long, finely crafted, but lacked the intricate elegance she preferred. It was functional, but unremarkable.
Her eyes moved to the second rapier. The guard was more intricate, with a delicate swirl of vines etched into the metal. The blade itself had an unusual sheen, almost iridescent, and it was clear that it was made for precision and grace, but its weight felt a lot heavier than the first. A subtle flaw marred the base, a slight dent that made her frown—nothing a good smith couldn't fix, but still, a flaw she didn't want to deal with.
Then her gaze landed on the third rapier, and her breath caught.
The hilt was wrapped in dark grey silk, the color deep and muted, creating a stark contrast against the emerald of the blade. What stood out most, however, was the guard—a stunning, intricate design of both a spider and butterfly interwoven together. The spider's legs seemed to reach out, twisting into the delicate wings of the butterfly. The design felt almost alive, as if it could move with the right wielder. There was an elegance to the rapier that immediately called to her, the dark and light contrast speaking to her in a way the other two couldn't.
Without hesitation, Celestia reached for it, fingers brushing the cool metal of the blade as she lifted it in her hands. "This one would do." She said before sheathing it into the black sheath with white stripes running across it.
"... You can just take that one," the shopkeeper muttered, barely looking up from the paper in his hands. "We don't really sell rapiers anyway, so just take it and leave." He let out a resigned sigh, leaning back in his chair as he shuffled through the paperwork, marking something with a quick stroke of his pen.
Without a word, Celestia took the rapier and turned on her heel, exiting the shop. She strode back down the cobblestone street, her steps steady but her mind focused on the task ahead.
As she entered the inn, she scanned the dimly lit interior, the murmur of conversation blending with the clink of mugs. She barely registered the patrons as her eyes darted across the room, quickly assessing the situation. She made her way to the small staircase tucked in the corner and climbed it, the creak of the wooden steps echoing in the silence.
She unlocked her door, stepped inside, and locked it behind her. The quiet of her room felt almost suffocating after the noise of the tavern, but she welcomed it. Her hands moved with purpose as she laid the sheath across the wooden table.
She studied it for a moment, her eyes already shifting to the maps on her wall as she began to think of the plan again.